Championing seafood in the home

It's no secret that preparing seafood at home can be a daunting notion. And the consumption data surrounding the seafood category bear that out. Consider this: 20% of all U.S. meals are served outside of the home in restaurants and other food service venues, while 50% of all seafood meals are consumed outside of the home (National Institutes of Health ). Seafood is almost universally perceived as both healthy and delicious, so why is seafood so underdeveloped at home?

?

Overwhelmingly, people state they're uncomfortable making seafood because they don't know how to cook it. I believe that. But, while confidence in cooking may be the most formidable barrier, it's just one of several. Seafood is also an icon for undesirable smells, and uncomfortable handling is often reinforced in advertising and pop culture. As a child, I remember TV ads for Lysol room deodorizer in which a nosey neighbor shames a woman for a lingering seafood odor in her home. The neighbor asks, "Fish for dinner last night?" as she wrinkles her nose, much to the host's embarrassment. Another pervasive example is the rules in the workplace about no fish preparation in the breakroom. Even the Dutch have an equivalent to the phrase "elephant in the room" that goes, "Put the fish on the table" to suggest dealing with a difficult situation rather than letting it smell up the place.

?

And then, there are the dreaded bones. Removing them is an aspect of seafood prep that moms prefer to relegate to restaurant chefs rather than subject their families to their perceived inability to remove them successfully. I remember working with ethnic Italians who used a phrase like "a (fish) bone in my throat" to express lingering discomfort with a problematic business matter.

?

With these concerns uppermost in the minds of moms, it's not surprising that seafood is underdeveloped in the home kitchen. Consumers restrict their enjoyment of seafood to restaurants instead of preparing it themselves.

?

We can bridge this gap by providing consumers with ready-to-eat seafood solutions that deliver the taste and health benefits they crave. For Aquamar, 2024 will be about continuing to develop our product innovations to give consumers access to convenient, healthy, and affordable seafood they can purchase at grocery stores as a complement to food service.

?

The task of altering consumer behavior is never trivial. It requires strategic planning, a willingness to invest in driving awareness, and a commitment to true innovation in order to meet their ever-changing needs. And although succeeding in that endeavor is no mean feat, the rewards can make it worthwhile.

?

The phrase "Fisherman's Luck" seems apropos. It's another way of saying that the harder you work, the luckier you get. With hard work on the part of the seafood industry, meaningful investment in the category, and thoughtful innovation, I believe we can enjoy our own fisherman's luck beginning in 2024.